JOURNAL OF CURRICULUM STUDIES (J.C.S.)
Year:2011 | Volume:5 | Issue:20|Papers Count:13

The purpose of this paper is to find a sound explanation to an anthropological approach to science education. This approach is based on holistic and emic points of view. Anthropological approach will open new windows for researchers in the field of education to see issues in a different light. To clarify the characterizations of anthropological approach to science education and showing its differences with social constructivism and personal constructivism, we will draw epistemological, pedagogical and methodological dimensions of this approach in our outline. We will use Giroux’s concept of cultural border crossing to explain cultural aspects of learning. Cultural border crossing together with anthropological definition of learning will reveal new aspects of complexity of science learning. The degree of cultural difference that pupils perceive between their life-world and the science classroom is important in understanding the difficulties of teaching and learning in science education. The result of this study shows that learning science is not solely limited to students’ intellectual and cognitive abilities. Having a holistic view based on anthropological approach, expand researchers’ conceptual horizon, empowering them to conceptualize problems of science education. Finally we will see that learning science is a complex and organic interaction among personal orientation of students; the societal-ecological setting of classroom; the subcultures of students’ family, local community, and school; the culture of their country or nation; and the subculture of science and school science.

In this article, relationship between t individual cognitive factors (reading self-concept and attitude toward reading) and family cognitive factors (reading activities outside the school and literacy of students’ parents) has been surveyed in grade four in primary school base on PIRS 2006. Statistical sample was 5411 students (2500 girls and 2911 boys) with average of 10.2 years old participated in PRLS 2006 test. Research scales include reading self-concept and attitude towards reading by using the questionnaire of students and outside of the school reading activities and parents'' literacy by the questionnaire of survey of learning and reading comprehension score was two dimensions of interpretation and direct inference. Data were analyzed with method hierarchical multiple regression by using data analysis procedures. The results showed that all the variables of cognitive dimensions related to comprehension of students have positive and significant relationship (at the level of P<0.01). Among the variables, parents’ literacy had the most variance determination for students’ comprehension and then reading self-concept, attitude towards reading and reading activities outside the school were situated.

The aim of the present paper is to study the level of conformity between the objectives of curriculum guidelines (at the elementary and middle school stages) and objectives officially ratified by the Supreme Council of Education. The sample consists of the complete set of curriculum guidelines for courses taught at the elementary and middle schools. Beredy’s (1969) quadriphasic model (description, interpretation, juxtaposition and comparison) was applied in order the curricula’s and the official goals. Findings of the study demonstrated that 44% of the official goals for the specified educational stages were not covered by the curricula guidelines’ objectives. While the objectives set by the curricula for domains of knowledge and skills transcended the official objectives, the attitudinal objectives of curricula failed to fulfill goals addressed by the Supreme Council of Education. The results of this study showed lack of a balanced focus on the threefold domains and excessive attention towards cognitive.

This research intended to study the objectives and contents of the first grade of high school textbooks in terms of their focus on research-oriented approach and inclusion of essential research skills. Qualitative methods and triangulation were adopted to acquire a deeper understanding of the issue. The sample consisted of general educational objectives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, educational goals of the high school stage and the first grade of high school’s textbooks of physics, biology, social studies, Persian literature, “faith and life” [Islamic studies] and the authors of these textbooks. Findings showed that in percentage, research-oriented elements are addressed 8.16%, 6.45%, 48%, 24%, 40%, 4% and 16% by general objectives of education in the IRI, objectives of the high school stage, physics, social studies, biology, Qur’an and Islamic studies and Persian literature respectively. In the next stage, the contents of the textbooks were analyzed with regard to research-oriented approach. In overall, the highest frequency of research-related issues belongs to problem solving, while tolerance has received the least share. Finally, to detect the cause of this composition of elements in the textbooks, to identify the problems and to develop research-oriented approaches in the educational system, interviews with authors of these books were carried out and analyzed.

The present study aims to identify influential factors embedded in the curriculum of BA level mathematics teacher training courses in Iran and the quality of their interconnection according to the subject instructors at schools, professors at the universities, BA students of mathematics teacher training courses and MA students of pure and applied mathematics and mathematics education. A total number of 203 mathematics teachers who worked at school participated in this study. The second, third and fourth groups forming the sample also consisted of 15, 38 and 18 participants respectively. Findings of the study which relied on a causal-comparative method revealed that according to the participants, five influential factors in curriculum of BA mathematics teacher training courses in order of importance are: professional qualification of university professors, pedagogical knowledge of the content, optimal teaching of specialized mathematical content, internship and general pedagogy. Although the optimal teaching of specialized mathematical content factor was ranked third in importance, it had the highest rate of reference by the participants. Data analysis showed that decreasing focus on general pedagogy and improving the professional qualification of mathematics professors positively affects optimal teaching of specialized mathematics content. However, less focus on general pedagogy must take place only after optimization of the professional qualification and replacement of instructional content of general pedagogy by pedagogical knowledge of the content.

The Brazilian education philosopher Paulo Freire is indeed one of the most notable and influential theoreticians of the field of critical pedagogy. The basic notion around which his theories revolve is ‘consciousness raising’ or ‘conscientization’. The present study aims to extract and explain the key elements of curriculum based on the concepts introduced by Freire. The paper starts with an overview of the philosophical foundations of critical pedagogy according to Freire before conducting an analysis of key pedagogical terms in his philosophical paradigm through a descriptive-analytical approach. The Banking education of the traditional outlook and problem posing education of Freire’s have been juxtaposed to compare their weak and strong points. Basic curricular elements in view of Freire have been discussed following the comparison section. According to Freire, the primary goal of pedagogy should be raising critical consciousness and critical individuals. To attain this objective, he suggests ‘problem posing’.

The objective of this study was to discuss the level and quality of concentration on the tradition of the prophets and Infallibles in the newly authored Persian language textbooks of the elementary stage in the school year 1387-1388 and their comparison with the Persian language textbooks of the same stage published in the 1379-1380 school year in order to reveal to what extent the newly authored books make effort to acquaint the students with different aspects of the prophets’ and Infallibles’ lives. The method adopted in this study was descriptive content analysis. The sample consisted of Persian language textbooks of the elementary stage in the 1379-1380 school year and the newly authored Persian language textbooks of the same stage in the 1387-1388 school year. Findings demonstrated that the newly authored books have designated only 5.4% of their entire volume to these subjects. This content includes 33 cases of life account, 35 cases of behavior account and 4 cases of sayings (the hadith) quoted from the Infallibles. On the other hand, the 79-80 textbooks included 25 life accounts, 70 cases of behavior accounts and 9 cases of hadith which overall, formed 9.7% of the total volume of the textbooks. Content analysis of the illustrations and questions posed in these books revealed that questions have been depthless, while the illustrations in the 87-88 textbooks had significantly improved compared with their 79-80 predecessors. The abundance ratio of pages and references to the prophets and the Infallibles had been higher in scope for the 79-80 textbooks, except for the illustrations.